Lectio Divina: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2025)

Lk 16:1-13 25th Sunday in ordinary time

We can begin with two introductory observations. Firstly, this parable is only to be found in the gospel of Luke. Secondly, many scripture scholars think that this is one of the hardest to be understood because it seems as if our Lord commended the dishonest behaviour of the steward. That problem can be resolved by pointing out that he was only commending his shrewdness and prudence in coping with a crisis but not his unjust behaviour by overcharging the tenants in order to enrich himself. It is also worth saying that it was the landowner, and not God who commended the estate manager. The reading can be broken down into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application (verses 9–13).

The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his resources. We are not told the exact form the mismanagement took. A steward was a person who managed the resources of a landowner. He had authority over all of his master’s resources and could transact business in his name. This required the utmost level of trust in the steward. While it was not be apparent at this point in the parable, it was made more evident later on, that the master was probably unaware of the steward’s dishonesty. He was sacked for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. When the steward realized that he would soon be without a job he made some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the sum owed by several of the debtors in exchange for shelter when he was eventually let go. There are a number of ways of understanding what happened.

(1) He dropped the price sufficiently to ingratiate himself with the debtors.

(2) He removed the interest charges on the debt.

(3) He removed the commission on the transactions.

(4) He reduced the debt back to what it should have been in the first place, after having overcharged them.

Any of the four tactics was possible. The landowner was impressed and praised the shrewdness of what the manager had done in the circumstances.

In part two of the parable, Jesus highlighted the implications of the story. He began by saying, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” Jesus was drawing a contrast between the “sons of this world” (i.e., unbelievers) and the “sons of light” (believers). Unbelievers are wiser in the things of this world than believers are about the things of the world to come. Once the unjust steward knew he was about to be sacked, he contrived to make friends of his master’s debtors—who would then be obligated to care for him once he lost his job. What does this have to do with believers being wise about the life to come? In Lk 16:9 we read, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with their wealth in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them into “eternal dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon on the Mount when he exhorted his followers to lay up treasures in heaven (cf. Mt 6:19–21). The author of 1 Tim 6:10 warned that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Not surprisingly, the scriptures say that the main antidote to greed is financial generosity. In1 Tim 6:17-18 we read: “As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.” The gospel reading concludes with Jesus warning that, “you cannot serve God and mammon.” The Aramaic word means more than wealth and riches, it can signify anything of this world that one relies on, titles, positions, privileges and honours. Mammon is anything that takes our attention away from God the true source of life.